Thursday, September 30, 2010

Book Recommendations

If any of you have read the Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller has a website with recommendations for books to read in specific genres. Website
  She has read many books and has some great recommendations if you are looking for a good read!




Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Book Talk

Today in our Literacy class, we were asked to give a book talk to our peers. A book talk basically is presenting a book you have read and convincing your audience to read it by providing a summary, reading a short passage from it, and prompting questions about what may happen at the end. The class was split into two groups, and I wrote down a list of the books from my group that were recommended:

  • The Westing Game
  • The Chocolate Touch
  • Just Ella
  • Keturah and Lord Death
  • Stargirl
  • Belle Prater's Boys
  • The Hundred Dresses
  • Tristian and Iseult
  • Summer of the Monkeys
  • The Witches
  • Three Cups of Tea
  • The 39 Clues
  • Masterpiece
  • Ella Enchanted

Monday, September 27, 2010

Other Reviews

Hey folks. Over the summer I kept a log of everything I read and I ended up doing three rather lengthy posts with short reviews of the books. Almost all of the books are YA fiction. You can see the reviews here , here, and here. I hope you enjoy and maybe find something you like.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Provo Library's "What to Read Next If You Liked The Hunger Games"

The Diary of Pelly D by L. J. Adlington: When Toni V, a construction worker on a futuristic colony, finds the diary of a teenage girl whose life has been turned upside-down by holocaust-like events, he begins to question his own beliefs.

Candor by Pam Bachorz: For a fee, "model teen" Oscar Banks has been secretly- and selectively- sabotaging the subliminal messages that progrm the behavior of the residents of Candor, Florida, until his attraction to a rebellious new girl threatens to expose his subterfuge.

Taken by Edward Bloor: In 2036 kidnapping rich children has become an industry, but when thirteen-year-old Charity Meyers is taken and held for ransomm she soon discovers that this particular kidnapping is not what it seems.

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen: After his parents, two sisters, and he have spent six years in a vast underground compound buildt by his wealthy father to protect them from a nuclear holocaust, fifteen-year-old Eli, whose twin brother and grandmother were left behind, discovers that his father has perpetrated a monstrous hoax on them all.

The Destiny of Linus Hoppe by Anne-Laure Bondoux: In a utopian world, fourteen-year-old Linus is approaching the test to determine which Realm he will live in. But Linus opts to reject the accepted way of life and ventures to change his destiny.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card: A veteran of years of simulated war games, Ender believes he is engaged in one more computer war game when in truth he is commanding the last fleet of Earth against an alien race seeking the complete destruction of Earth.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore: In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

The White Mountains by John Christopher: Will Parker and his companions make a perilous journey toward an outpost of freedom where they hope to escape from the rulling Tripods, who capture mature human beings and make them docile servants.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner: Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow: After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, uses his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix: Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Polic. He's lived his entire life in hiding. Then luke meets another shadow child. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows- does Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan?

Unwind by Neal Shusterman: In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs-and, perhaps, save their own lives.

Uglies by Scott Westerfield: Just before their sixteenth birthdays, when they will will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have a great time. Tally's best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all.
 

Welcome to the blog!

This blog is for everyone, but especially for us teachers. Anyone can suggest cheap places to purchase books, upcoming literacy events, and write reviews on their favorite books that would be great for the classroom. If you have any suggestions, please let me know, and I hope this will be helpful as we prepare to be teachers!